“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27).

We know Christ was capable of anger and at times he was moved to tears. But mostly, he led his life on earth as a man of peace. He had peace with the Father, peace in the fbace of temptation, peace in times of rejection and mockery. He even had peace during storms at sea, sleeping on the deck of the boat while others trembled with terror.

The disciples had heard men call their Lord a devil and religious leaders pointed to him as a fraud. Some groups even plotted to kill him. Yet, through it all, Jesus never lost his peace. No man, no religious system, no devil could rob him of his peace.

All this must have caused discussion among the disciples: “How could he sleep in a storm? What kind of peace is that? And how could he be so calm when that crowd was about to throw him over a cliff? People mock him, insult him, spit on him, but he never fights back. Nothing disturbs him.”

When Jesus promised these men the very same peace, the disciples must have looked at each other in wonder: “You mean we’re going to have the same peace that he has? This is incredible!”

Jesus said to them, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (14:27). In this same scene, Jesus promised to give the disciples the Holy Spirit. Christ explained, “The Holy Spirit will guide you through what you’re going to face. He will be your friend and he’ll enable you to experience this peace I give to you.”

Jesus had just taught these men, “I go and prepare a place for you [and] I will come again and receive you to Myself” (14:3). But Jesus’ pledge to come again didn’t lift their spirits. I can imagine Peter saying, “Who needs a fancy place to live? I need a job. I’ve got a family to feed.”

Jesus knew the disciples needed the kind of peace that would see them through any and all situations. And he is telling us, just as he told them, “You will need my peace to endure what’s coming. Get it now, before things get worse. My Holy Spirit abides in you, so ask him for my peace. He has promised to anchor your soul in every storm.”

We are seeing calamities on a scale never before witnessed: hurricanes, fires, floods, droughts, national unrest. Fear and despair abound on every side and even the most skeptical commentators say we’re already seeing the beginning of World War III.

What can God’s people do to move his heart in these troubled times? Surely the church is not powerless. The prophet Joel said, “‘Now, therefore,’ says, the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart’ … Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:12-13).

All the Old Testament prophets called God’s people to corporate prayer. Jesus himself declared, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer’” (Matthew 21:13). The fact is, world history has been shaped by the prayers of Christ’s church.

The Holy Spirit was first given in God’s house, at the Upper Room. There the disciples “continued with one accord in prayer” (Acts 1:14). We’re told that Peter was released from prison by an angel, while “many were gathered together praying” (12:12). Corporate prayer had been made continually for Peter’s release.

Clearly, God releases much power because of the prayers of his church. Thus, the call to such prayer cannot be underestimated. We know the church has been commissioned to win souls, to do charity, to serve as the gathering place for God’s Word to be preached. But first and foremost, the church is to be a house of prayer — this is its primary calling.

“If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).

But the power of prayer isn’t reserved for large gatherings alone; we can find it in the intimacy of our own homes. Jesus practiced and recommended closet prayer to his disciples. “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6). The homes in Jesus’ culture had an inner room that served as sort of storage closet, a place where they could pray in secret, so this concept was easy for them to grasp.

Jesus set the example for private prayer: “In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). “When He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray … He was alone there” (Matthew 14:23).

During times of calamity, we might wonder, “Where is the Lord’s eye focused in all this?” We can be sure that God is not focused on the wild plans of deranged leaders, no matter how powerful they are. “He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless … When He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble” (Isaiah 40:23-24).

Isaiah tells us, “No sooner are these ‘seeds’ planted and take root in the ground than God blows on them, and they wither. The wicked rulers of the earth are caught up in his whirlwind and swept away as chaff. He reduces them to nothing.” To prove this to us, Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Even in the midst of great world turmoil, God’s primary focus isn’t on the tyrants; his focus is on every circumstance, every detail, in his children’s lives. Christ says in the very next verse, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (10:29).

In Christ’s day, sparrows were the meat of the poor and sold two for a penny. On the streets, bird catchers could be seen carrying baskets full of snared sparrows. Yet, Jesus said, “Not one of these small creatures falls to the ground without your Father knowing it.” According to Bible commentator William Barclay, Jesus’ word “fall” in the above verse signifies more than the bird’s death. The Aramaic meaning is “to light upon the ground.” In other words, “fall” here indicates every little wounded hop a tiny bird makes.

Christ is telling us, in essence, “Your Father’s eye is on the sparrow, not just when it dies but even when it lights upon the ground. God sees its every little struggle, and he is concerned over every detail of its life.”

Jesus then says, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (10:31). Simply put, the one who made and counted all the stars, who keeps the galaxies in their orbits, has his eye fixed on you. So find rest and assurance in him!

James said, “If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth” (James 3:14).

As messengers of Christ’s gospel, we simply cannot hold onto jealousy or envy. James makes it clear that this will hinder us from having a testimony with spiritual authority because we are living a lie.

In plain terms, the sin of jealousy or envy is a bitter poison. King Saul provides the clearest example of this in all of scripture. In 1 Samuel 18, we find David returning from a battle in which he slaughtered the Philistines. As he and King Saul rode into Jerusalem, the women of Israel came out to celebrate David’s victories, dancing and singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7).

Saul was wounded by this joyous celebration, thinking to himself, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” (18:8). Immediately, Saul was consumed by a spirit of jealousy. In the very next verse, we read the deadly effect it had on him. “Saul eyed [envied] David from that day forward” (18:9).

Saul seethed, pouting in self-pity. He probably thought, “I’ve worked so hard, giving up everything to serve these people, and now they turn on me. They’re singing the praises of my assistant minister while they ignore me.”

Tragically, after this, “Saul became David’s enemy continually” (18:29). The truth of this story is that, no matter how loudly the people cheered for David, God’s Spirit was still upon Saul and Israel still loved him. The Lord’s promise to build him an everlasting house was clearly still in place. Had Saul acknowledged his envy and drawn near to the Lord, God would have heaped honors on him; and David, his loyal captain, would have gladly secured the kingdom for Saul with his military skills. But Saul would not humble himself; and as a result, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (see 18:12).

In these troubling days, our first priority should be to draw near to Jesus. Spend time in prayer, make him the most important work in your life, and he will show you his heart. By his Spirit, he will remove from you all that is unlike Christ, and he will pour out his spiritual anointing on you.

Our trust in God pleases him, and we are counted as righteous like Abraham because we heed the call to entrust all our tomorrows into his hands (see Romans 4:3). Jesus also calls us to this way of living. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33).

Jesus then adds, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (6:34). Jesus doesn’t mean that we are not to plan ahead. Rather, he is simply saying, “Don’t be anxious or troubled about tomorrow.” When we think about it, most of our anxieties are about what might happen tomorrow. We are constantly harassed by two little words: What if?

What if the economy fails and I lose my job? How will our family survive? What if I lose my health insurance? What if my faith fails me in trying times? We all have many “what if” anxieties.

Jesus interrupts our “what ifs” and tells us, “Your heavenly Father knows how to take care of you. You don’t need to worry because your Father knows you need all these things, and he is faithful to feed you, clothe you and supply all your needs.”

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? … Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:26-29).

We gladly give all our yesterdays to the Lord, turning over to him our past sins, failures, doubts and fears. So why don’t we do the same with our tomorrows?

Paul says, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13). I urge you to trust the Lord with all your tomorrows and let your present trial preach the message of his faithfulness.